Cycloaddition reactions selection rules

Cheletropic reactions are cyclizations - or the reverse fragmentations - of conjugated systems in which the two newly made o bonds terminate on the same atom. However, a cheletropic reaction is neither a cycloaddition nor a cycloreversion. The reason is that the chelating atom uses two AOs whereas in cycloadditions, each atom uses one and only one AO. Therefore, Dewar-Zimmerman rules cannot apply to cheletropic reactions. Selection rules must be derived using either FO theory or correlation diagrams 38 The conjugated fragment39 of 4n + 2 electron systems reacts in a disrotarory (conrotarory) mode in linear (nonlinear) reactions. In 4n electron systems, it reacts in a disrotarory (conrotarory) mode in nonlinear (linear) reactions. 

The selection rules for cycloaddition reactions can also be derived from consideration of the aromaticity of the transition state. The transition states for [2tc -f 2tc] and [4tc -1- 2tc] cycloadditions are depicted in Fig. 11.11. For the [4tc-1-2tc] suprafacial-suprafacial cycloaddition, the transition state is aromatic. For [2tc -F 2tc] cycloaddition, the suprafacial-suprafacial mode is antiaromatic, but the suprafacial-antarafacial mode is aromatic. In order to specify the topology of cycloaddition reactions, subscripts are added to the numerical classification. Thus, a Diels-Alder reaction is a [4tc -f 2 ] cycloaddition. The... 

Thermal and photochemical cycloaddition reactions always take place with opposite stereochemistry. As with electrocyclic reactions, we can categorize cycloadditions according to the total number of electron pairs (double bonds) involved in the rearrangement. Thus, a thermal Diels-Alder [4 + 2] reaction between a diene and a dienophile involves an odd number (three) of electron pairs and takes place by a suprafacial pathway. A thermal [2 + 2] reaction between two alkenes involves an even number (two) of electron pairs and must take place by an antarafacial pathway. For photochemical cyclizations, these selectivities are reversed. The general rules are given in Table 30.2. 

This is because of retro-cycloaddition. In retro-cycloadditions, the reverse reactions are more favoured and the same selection rules apply. This is also because that X is normally a small inorganic molecule and of high thermodynamic stability. 

Cycloadditions with 1,3-cyclohexadienes proceeding with very low activation energies (Table IV) bear a close relationship to thermal Diels-Alder reactions (see ref. 5 and references cited therein). Hoffmann and Woodward237 have developed selection rules for thermal and photochemical concerted cycloaddition reactions according to which Diels-Alder reactions can occur in a concerted fashion with singlet ground-state... 

If the analogy that is drawn between the Si=Si dimer on the Si(100)-2 x 1 surface and an alkene group is reasonable, then certain parallels might be expected to exist between cycloaddition reactions in organic chemistry and reactions that occur between alkenes or dienes and the silicon surface. In other words, cycloaddition products should be observed on the Si(100)-2 x 1 surface. Indeed, this prediction has been borne out in a number of studies of cycloaddition reactions on Si(100)-2x1 [14], as well as on the related surfaces of Ge(100)-2 x 1 (see Section 6.2.1) and C(100)-2 x 1 [192-195]. On the other hand, because the double-bonded description is only an approximation, deviations from the simple picture are expected. A number of studies have shown that the behavior differs from that of a double bond, and the asymmetric character of the dimer will be seen to play an important role. For example, departures from the symmetry selection rules developed for organic reactions are observed at the surface. Several review articles address cycloaddition and related chemistry at the Si(100)-2 x 1 surface the reader is referred to Refs. [10-18] for additional detail. 

The rules based on the Hiickel-Mobius concept have their counterpart among the Woodward-Hoffmann selection rules. There was a marked difference between the suprafacial and antarafacial arrangements in the application of the Woodward-Hoffmann treatment of cycloadditions. The disrotatory and conrotatory processes in elec-trocyclic reactions presented similar differences. The suprafacial arrangement in both of the reacting molecules in the cycloaddition as well as the disrotatory ring closure in Figure 7-25 correspond to... 

This type of condensation is of great interest in connection with the Woodward-Hoffmann selection rules for symmetry-allowed concerted suprafacial and antarafacial cycloaddition reactions.284 The generalized rules for cycloaddition of an m- to an n-electron system predict that the concerted supra-supra or antara-antara dimerization is allowed in the excited state (i.e., photochemically) when m + n = 4q, and in the ground state (i.e., thermally) when to + n = 4q + 2, where to and n are the numbers... 

To apply the selection rules for cycloadditions, add the number of tt electrons from each component undergoing reaction and then apply the rules oudined in Table 6.2. 

For sigmatropic reactions, as for electrocyclic reactions and cycloadditions, the course of reaction can be predicted by counting the number of electrons involved and applying the selection rules. A comprehensive rationalization of all the stereochemical aspects of these reactions requires application of the frontier orbital or orbital symmetry approaches, and, at this point, we will content ourselves with pointing out the salient features of the more common reactions of this class. 

Cycloaddition reactions are transformations involving the fusion of open-chain substrates to cyclic products. Woodward and Hoffmann have divided all concerted cycloaddition reactions into allowed and forbidden categories defined by a complete set of selection rules (5). We address ourselves here to the catalytic operations required of a transition metal to switch the forbidden transformations to allowed. Our attention, therefore, will be directed exclusively to the forbidden reactions. Forbidden-to-allowed catalysis will be discussed as it applies to the simplest, and perhaps most important cycloaddition, the concerted, suprafacial, 1,2-addition of two olefins. 

Note. Several people have contributed to this field, but in the account that follows, their names have not always been placed in the section corresponding to the work they did. The version of each topic presented here is not always that of any one of them—nor is it proper to link their names with some of the over-simple arguments used. In roughly chronological order, the principal contributors are R. B. Woodward and R. Hoffmann,1 and K. Fukui,3 for the frontier orbital theory of the Woodward-Hoffmann rules, and W. C. Herndon,112 R. Sustmann,113 N. T. Anh,114> 115 K. N. Houk40,116,117 and N. D. Epiotis,118 for the various aspects of selectivity in cycloaddition reactions. 

Woodward and Hoffmann had been privately informed of the method of correlation diagrams 3> and published in the same issue of the same journal a study of concerted intermolecular cycloaddition reactions, for which selection rules were established by means of correlation diagrams for molecular orbitals 4>. 

It has become clear from the Woodward-Hoffmann-rules how orbital symmetry controles in an easily discernible manner the feasibility and stereochemical consequences of every concerted reaction 239>. For cycloaddition reactions of a m-ji-electron system to a M-jr-electron molecule the following stereochemical selection rules have been established (q = 0,1,2,...) ... 

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